Device for stacking sheet material



Sept. 1, 1964 L. MOORE ETAL 3,147,010

DEVICE FOR STACKING SHEET MATERIAL Filed May 28, 1962 5 Sheets-Sheet 1INVENTORS= $540051. Lfiooee 66 0865 flow/v.5

A'rroRNEY 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 L. L. MOORE ETAL DEVICE FOR STACKING SHEETMATERIAL Sept. 1, 1964 Filed May 28, 1962 INVENTOR$= mw mm NN ATTORNEYSept. 1, 1964 L. MOORE ETAL DEVICE FOR STACKING SHEET MATERIAL 5Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed May 28, 1962 2 R E mww .N Q MW MM m QM WA A Nu m MN Mn 1:! W A WM I Ell! v h W WW A n NN Q NN 1 6. m W N M l r L E: k k WM ww MW g n R W w n mmu NM u E a l1 JNJIII w Nv {111m E qiq "E N. .I I Hh- N ww g Sept. 1, 1964 1.. MOORE ETAL 3,147,010

DEVICE FOR STACKING SHEET MATERIAL Filed May 28, 1962 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Zl/EL L fi g o g EM Geo/84E. flown/s Sept. 1, 1964 1.. L. MOORE ETALDEVICE FOR STACKING SHEET MATERIAL 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed May 28, 1962United States Patent Wee 3,147,010 DEVICE FOR STACKIN G SHEET MATERKALLemuel L. Moore and George W. Downs, Hamilton, Ala. Filed May 28, 1962,Ser. No. 198,227 11 Claims. (C1. 271-72) This invention relates to adevice for stacking sheet material, and more particularly to a devicefor automatically feeding and stacking strips of sheet material.

One object of this invention is to provide a device which isparticularly adapted for stacking strips of fabric of uniform length,such as cuffs, collars, sleeves, belts, and other garment pieces.

Moreover, this device is particularly adapted for use as an attachmentto a machine which operates upon sheet material, such as a sewingmachine, a cutting machine, a printing machine, or any other type ofcloth or sheet material finishing machine.

Another object of this invention is to provide a stacking machine whichwill automatically begin operation as soon as a strip of sheet materialis fed to it, will continue to operate automatically as long as itreceives sheet ma terial, and will automatically stop when the feedingof the sheet material ceases.

A further object of this invention is to provide a sheet materialstacking device incorporating a pivotal sheet material supporting plate,and means for automatically reciprocating the plate between a dumpingposition and a material supporting position every time a strip of sheetmaterial is fed to the plate.

Another object of this invention is to provide a stacking device havinga pair of sheet material feed rolls, the separation of the feed rolls bythe sheet material automatically starting the operating cycle of thedevice.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent fromthe following description taken in conjunction with the drawings,wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front end elevation of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a section taken along the line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a section taken along the line 3--3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary top plan view of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a modified form of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a section taken along the line 66 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a section taken along the line 7-7 of FIG. 6; and

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of the electrical circuit employed in bothmodifications.

Referring now more particularly to the stacking device disclosed inFIGS. 1-4, a pair of angle members 10 and 11 (PEG. 1) may be provided toextend from the table of a sewing machine, or supported in any otherconvenient manner, to support the front and rear channels 12 and 13 uponwhich the device is mounted. An elongated trough 15 is mounted acrossthe channels 12 and 13 and fixed thereto by means such as screws 16.

One longitudinal edge of the trough 15 forms a semicylindrical housing17 for a hinge rod or flip shaft 18. The hinge rod 18 is journaled atopposite ends in the bearings 19 and 20. A plurality of elongated screws22 are secured in threaded engagement with the hinge rod 13 and extendtherefrom to be threadedly secured by bolts 23 to a bracket 24 whichsupports a sheet material or fabric support member or plate 25. Theplate 25 is provided with spaced longitudinal ribs or paddles 26, whichare adapted to support the fabric above the plate 25 with a minimum ofcontact to reduce static electricity and friction. It will be seen thatthe plate 25 is securely fixed to the hinge rod 13 for swinging movementtherewith when the hinge rod 18 is rotated in the bearings 19 and toflip or dump the fabric from the plate 25.

Supported alongside the plate 25 and adjacent the hinge 3,147,010Fatented Sept. 1, 1964 rod 18 is a tray 29 for receiving and stackingthe articles of sheet material flipped or discharged from the plate 25.One longitudinal edge of the tray 29 may be secured to the trough 15 bymeans such as the cotter key 36, as disclosed in FIG. 3. The bottom ofthe tray 29 is further supported by means of vertically adjustable bolts31 supported in the free ends of the channels 12 and 13. Properadjustment of the bolts 31 will permit the tray 29 to slant downwardaway from the plate 25 so that the discharged strips of sheet materialwill gravitate away from the plate when stacked on the tray 29. In thismanner, the tray 29 will receive a greater number of stacked articlesthan if the tray 29 were level.

Depending from the rear channel 13 is a support plate 34, behind and onwhich is mounted a flipper motor 35 by means such as the bolts 36. Theflip-per motor 35 drives a shaft 37 which carries the radial arm 38 forrotation therewith. The outer end of the arm 38 carries a capped pivotpin 39 which is adapted to rotate within and slidably reciprocate in anelongated slot 40 formed in the lower end of a lift bar 41. The upperend of the lift bar 41 is pivotally connected to a lever arm 42 by meansof a pivotal bolt or pin 43. The lever arm 42 is in turn rigidlyattached to the hinge bar 18 by means of the corresponding threaded bolt22.

The relation of the parts thus described is such that rotation of themotor shaft 37 will cause the pin 39 to continuously rotate about theshaft 37 and reciprocate within the elongated slot 40. As long as thepin 39 is reciprocating freely within the slot 40, which is while it istraveling through the major portion of each cycle, there is lost motionwhich causes the lift bar 41 to dwell and the fabric support plate 25 toremain in its substantially level supporting position. As the pin 39rotates upwardly to engage the upper end of the slot 40, the lift bar 41is forced upward to rotate the lever arm 42 and the hinge bar 18 withinits bearings 19 and 20, and swing the fabric support plate 25 upwardlyin the direction of the arrow disclosed in FIG. 3. The lift bar 41 isset so that at its extreme upward position, the plate 25 will be aboutto from its original fabric supporting position. Any fabric carried bythe support plate 25 will be flipped or discharged upon the tray 29.

Continued rotation of the pin 39 will cause it to move away from theupper end of the slot 40. However, the retractible spring 45, connectingthe lift bar 41 through a hole 46 and some stationary part of themachine, such as a screw 47 on the switch housing 48, withdraws the liftbar 41 to counter-rotate the lever arm 42, the hinge rod 18, and thefabric support plate 25 to their original supporting position disclosedin FIG. 3. The pivot pin 39 then begins to move toward the lower end ofthe elongated slot 40 while the fabric support plate 25 dwells until itreceives another fabric, and the cycle is repeated.

Mounted transversely in front of the trough 15 is an upper feed roller50 and a lower feed roller 51. The upper feed roller 50 is rotatablymounted in stationary bearings or standards 52 and 53. One end of theupper roller 50 is provided with a pulley 54 adapted to be driventhrough a belt 55 and a pulley 56 supported on a motor shaft 57 drivenby a motor 58.

The lower roller 51 is journaled for rotation in the side rockerbrackets 59 and 60, mounted on the rocker plate 61. The rocker brackets59 and 60 are fixed to a transverse rocker shaft 62 journaled in thesides of the upper roller standards 52 and- 53. A trip bar 65 is mountedon the rocker plate 61 and extends longitudinally beneath the fabricsupport plate 25. The trip bar 65 is maintained in its raisedinoperative position by means of a spring 66 attached to the rearchannel 13. The upward movement of the trip bar 65 is limited by thelower roller 51 contacting the upper roller 50 in rolling 3 engagement.Mounted on the outside of the trough 15 is a switch housing 67 enclosinga switch 68 (FIG. 8), and having a depending button 69 adapted to bedepressed and released by an actuating arm 70 extending upwardly fromthe rear end of the trip bar 65. It will be observed from FIG. 2, thatwhen the trip bar 65 is biased to its extreme upward position by thespring 66, not only will the lower roller 51 engage the upper roller 50,but the actuating arm 70 will depress the button 69. On the other hand,when a strip of sheet material is fed between the rollers 50 and 51, thethickness of the strip will force the lower roller 51 downwardly topivot the rocker brackets 59 and 60, the rocker plate 61, the rockershaft 62 and the trip bar 65 downwardly to cause the actuating arm 70 todisengage and release the switch button 69. Because of the greatleverage, the thickness of the strip need only be a fraction of thetravel distance of the actuating arm 70 necessary to release the button69.

The lower roller 51 is preferably provided with spaced annular grooves78. The purpose of these grooves 78 is to receive the parallel wirefingers 79 which are secured to the rocker shaft 62 by means such asscrews 80. The fingers 79 extend around and forwardly across the top ofthe lower roller 51 through the grooves 78, and beneath the upper roller50 until the fingers 79 terminate adjacent the front end of the supportplate 25. The purpose of the guide wires 79 is to prevent fabric orsheet material passing between the rollers 50 and 51 from dropping andwrapping around the lower roller 51, and also to guide the fabric uponthe support plate 25.

The switch housing 48, encasing the switch 73 (FIG. 8), is supported onthe front face of the mounting plate 34. A depressible cam follower 74operatively connected to the switch 73 extends out of the switch housing48. Extending substantially normal to the outer end of the motor arm 38in the direction of rotation is a cam 75 adapted to engage and depressthe cam follower 74, when the cam 75 is rotated by the shaft 37 intooperative position. As best disclosed in FIG. 3, the cam follower 74will remain disengaged through the major portion of the rotary cycle ofthe shaft 37. However, after the discharging or flipping phase of thecycle has been com pleted and the support plate 25 has been returned toits original supporting position, the cam 75 will have rotated to engageand depress the cam follower 74 to actuate the switch 73.

FIG. 8 discloses a preferred form of electrical circuit for operatingthe device. It will be noted that the motors 35 and 58 are connected inparallel circuits 83 and 84 between the input power lead 85 and theoutput power lead 86. Switches 68 and 73 are in turn connected inparallel circuits 87 and 88, respectively, in the flipper motor circuit83.

The operation of the invention will now be described as follows:

When the stacking device is in its normal inoperative position beforeany sheet material, such as fabric, is fed to it, the lower roller 51 isbiased upward into engagement with the upper roller 50, and theactuating arm 70 is biased upward to depress the switch button 69, byvirtue of the upward pull of the retractible spring 66 on the switch bar65. Although the starting position of the motor shaft 37, the arm 38,the lift bar 41 and cam 75 is not too material, so long as the supportplate 25 is in its fabric supporting position, as disclosed in FIG. 3,generally the cam 75 will be in a position depressing the cam follower74. With both the switch button 69 and the cam follower 64 depressed,the switches 68 and 73 will be open in their dashed-line positionsdisclosed in FIG. 8, to de-energize the flipper motor 35. Assuming thepower lines 85 and 86 are connected to their proper power source, themotor 58 will be energized to continuously drive the upper feed roller50, which in turn will drive the abutting lower feed roller 51.

When a strip of sheet material, such as fabric, is introduced betweenthe rollers 50 and 51, the fabric will be fed between the rollers,across the guide wires 79 and out upon the ribs or paddles 26 forsupport above the fabric support plate 25. As the fabric passes betweenthe rollers 50 and 51 the thickness of the fabric will depress theroller 51 to pivot about the rocker shaft 62 and thus swing the trip bar65 and the actuating arm 70 away from the switch housing 67 to releasethe switch button 69. The switch button 69 is operatively connected tothe switch 68 to close the switch 68 to permit current to flow throughthe circuits 87 and 83 to energize the flipper motor 35. Energization ofthe motor 35 will drive the shaft 37 and motor arm 38 to move the cam 75away from engagement with the cam follower 74, to release the camfollower 74 and close the switch 73. When the switch 73 is closed,current will also flow through the circuit 88 and the circuit 83 toenergize the flipper motor 35.

Since the rollers 50 and 51 are driven at a rather rapid rate, thefeeding of a length of fabric through the rollers is completed muchsooner than the completion of a flipping cycle. Thus, as soon as thefabric is fed upon the support plate 25, the lower roller 51 is againbiased into engagement with the upper roller 50, and the actuating arm79 again depresses the switch button 69 to open the switch 68 and thecircuit 87. However, even though the circuit 87 is now open, the circuit38 remains closed to keep the flipper motor 85 energized to complete thecycle.

As the shaft 37 continues to rotate, the pin 39 will engage the upperend of the slot 40 to lift the bar 41 and cause the lever arm 42, thehinge rod 18, and support plate 25 to swing upward and flip or dischargethe fabric into the tray 29. When the plate 25 has reached its extremeupward flipping position, it will then be returned to its originalposition by continued rotation of the shaft 37. When the cam 75 againengages and depresses the cam follower 74, the switch 73 is opened, sothat both circuits 87 and 88 are open, and the flipper motor 35 isde-energized to immediately stop the rotation of the shaft 37. Thus,complete operation is stopped until another strip of sheet material orfabric is inserted between the rollers 50 and 51. The roller 50 willcontinue to be driven until the motor 58 is cut off.

FIGS. 5, 6, and 7 disclose a modified form of stacking deviceincorporating parts similar to those dislosed in FIGS. 1-4, such as thetrough 115, hinge rod 118, and fabric support plate having ribs orpaddles 126. The plate 125 is operatively connected to the hinge rod 118in the same manner as the plate 25 is connected to the hinge rod 18, inorder to function in the same manner. A tray 129 is fixed alongside thetrough 115 for receiving stacks of fabric strips 100.

A clutch is provided instead of the flipper motor 35 in order to drivethe rotary shaft 137. A radial arm 138 supports a pivot pin 139 whichpivotally supports a slide block 140. A cylindrical hole, not shown, isprovided in the slide block 40 to slidably receive the lift bar 141. Thehinge rod 118 is fixed to a lever arm 142, the outer end of which ispivoted to the upper bent end of the lift bar 141. A collar 144 is fixedaround the lift bar 141 between the slide block and the upper end of thelift bar 141. The collar 144 is so located that it will be thrust upwardby the slide block 140 during a portion of the rotary cycle of the shaft137, to lift the bar 141, and swing the lever 142, the hinge rod 118 andthe fabric support plate 125 to discharge the fabric strips 100 upon thetray 129. Upon the return cycle, the slide block 140 will be movingdownwardly away from the collar 144. However, the slide block 140 willtend to compress the retractible coil spring 145, which is secured tothe lift bar 141, to urge the lift bar 141 downward, and counter-rotatethe hinge rod 118 to return the support plate 125 to its originalposition.

The upper feed roller is driven by sprocket 154, a

chain 155, sprocket 156, motor shaft 157, and drive motor 158.. Thelower roller 151 is supported in the side rocker bracket, such as 159and rocker plate 161. The rocker bracket 159 is adapted to pivot aboutthe rocker shaft 162. A trip bar 165 extends rearwardly of the rockerplate 161 and is biased downwardly by means of the retractible spring166. It will be noted that in this modification, the roller 151 is onthe opposite side of the rocker shaft 162 from the trip bar 165, whilein the modification disclosed in FIG. 2, both the roller 51 and the triparm 65 are located on the same side of the rocker shaft 62. Since theactuation of the switches will be the same, the switch housing 167 andswitch button 169 are located below the trip arm 165 and the actuatingarm 170. FIG. 7 discloses a strip of sheet material 100 passing betweenthe rollers 150 and 151 to depress the lower roller 151 about the rockershaft 162 and thus raise the actuating arm 170 to release the switchbutton 169 and thereby close the switch 68 to energize the clutch 135.It will be noted that the constantly driven disc of the clutch 135 isdriven through sprocket 190, chain 191 from the motor drive shaft 157.

The switch housing 148 is quite similar to the switch housing 48 and isprovided with a cam follower 174 for actuation by the cam 175 formed onthe motor arm 138.

The circuit diagram of FIG. 8 is equally applicable to the operation ofthe device disclosed in FIGS. 5-7, except that the drive motor 158 willbe substituted for the drive motor 58, and the clutch 135 will besubstituted for the flipper motor 35. Except for the minor changesalready described, the operation of the two devices is substantiallyidentical.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes maybe made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scopethereof, and therefore the invention is not limited by that which isshown in the drawings and described in the specification, but only asindicated in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A stacking device comprising:

(a) a plate member for supporting a sheet material strip,

(b) means for pivotally supporting said plate member along one edge,

(c) a rotary shaft,

(d) an arm extending radially from said shaft,

(e) means for linking said arm to said pivotal support means forconverting the rotary motion of said shaft to a reciprocable motion forsaid plate member between a sheet material supporting position and adumping position,

(7) means for driving said shaft,

(g) first and second feed rolls for feeding strips of sheet materialupon said plate member,

(h) means for driving said feed rolls,

(i) means for mounting said first roll to move toward and away from saidsecond roll, and

(j) means operatively associated with said roll mounting means forenergizing said shaft drive means When said first roll is moved awayfrom said second roll, and for de-energizing said shaft drive means whensaid first roll is moved toward said second roll.

2. A stacking device comprising:

(a) a plate member for supporting a sheet material strip,

(b) means for pivotally supporting said plate member along one edge,

(0) a rotary shaft,

(d) an arm extending radially from said shaft,

(e) means for linking said arm to said pivotal support means forconverting the rotary motion of said shaft to a reciprocable motion forsaid plate member between a sheet material supporting position and adumping position,

(f) an electrical motor for driving said shaft,

(g) first and second feed rolls for feeding strips of ma terial uponsaid plate member,

(h) means for driving said feed rolls,

(1') means for mounting said first roll to move toward and away fromsaid second roll,

(j) a first switch electrically connected to said motor and operativelyassociated with said roll mounting means for energizing said motor whensaid first roll is moved away from said second roll, and fordeenergizing said motor when said first roll is moved toward said secondroll,

(k) a second switch electrically connected to said motor independentlyof said first switch, and

(1) means on said radial arm for actuating said second switch toenergize said motor for one complete cycle of said rotary shaft and tode-energize said motor after the completion of said cycle.

3. The invention according to claim 2 in which said first and secondswitches are connected in parallel to said electric motor, so that theclosing of either switch will energize said motor.

4. The invention according to claim 2 in which means are provided forpivotally supporting said first roll in operative engagement beneathsaid second roll, an elongated trip bar fixed to said roll mountingmeans for pivotal movement therewith, means on said trip bar foroperatively. engaging said first switch so that pivotal movement of saidfirst roll away from said second roll causes said lift bar to close saidfirst switch and movement of said first roll toward said second rollcauses said tripbar to close said first switch.

5. The invention according to claim .2 in which said second switch isprovided with a cam follower for actuation of said switch, said armcomprises a cam adapted to engage said cam follower once during eachrevolution of said shaft, so that engagement of said cam and camfollower opens said switch to deenergize said motor, and disengagementof said cam and cam follower closes said switch to energize said motor.

6. The invention according to claim 1 in which said feed roll drivingmeans comprises a motor, said shaft drive means comprises a clutch, saidmotor being operatively connected to said clutch, and said energizingmeans being adapted to engage and disengage said clutch with said driveshaft.

7. The invention according to claim 1 in which said first feed roll ismounted below said second feed roll,

spaced annular grooves formed in said first feed roll, a

guide finger for each groove, and means for mounting said fingers toextend through said grooves between said feed rolls and in the directionof feeding said strips.

8. A stacking device comprising:

(a) a sheet material supporting member,

(b) means for pivoting said supporting member between a materialsupporting position and a dumping position,

(c) a rotary shaft,

((1) means linking said rotary shaft to said pivoting means forconverting the rotary motion of said shaft to a reciprocating motion forsaid supporting member between said supporting position and said dumpingposltion,

( e) means for driving said shaft,

(f) means for feeding sheet material to said supporting member,

(g) first means for actuating said drive means,

(h) said first means being operatively connected to said feeding meansfor energizing said drive means when sheet material is being fed by saidfeeding means and to de-energize said drive means when said feedingceases,

(i) second means for actuating said drive means independently of saidfirst actuating means,

(j) said second means being adapted to de-energize said drive meansautomatically, after said support- (2) means for driving said shaftthrough a rotary cycle,

(f) a lever fixed to said hinge rod operative to pivot said platemember,

(g) an elongated lift bar,

(It) means for pivotally connecting one end of said lift bar to saidlever,

(1') means fixed to said radial arm slidably engaging said lift bar forlongitudinal movement thereof, and

(j) abutment means spaced on said lift bar between said pivotalconnecting means and said slidably engaging means for engagement by saidslidably engaging means through a portion of said rotary cycle toreciprocate said plate member between said supporting and dumpingpositions.

10. A stacking device comprising:

(a) a plate member for supporting a sheet material strip,

(1;) a hinge rod for supporting one longitudinal edge of said platemember for pivotal movement between a strip supporting position and adumping position,

(c) a rotary shaft,

(d) an arm extending radially from said shaft,

(e) means for driving said shaft through a rotary cycle,

(f) a lever fixed to said hinge rod operative to pivot said platemember,

(g) alift bar,

(11) means for pivotally connectingone end of said lift bar to saidlever,

(i) an elongated slot of pie-determined length in said lift bar,

(j) a pin fixed to said radial arm and slidably received in said slotfor operative engagement with one end of said slot during a portion ofsaid rotary cycle to reciprocate said plate member between saidsupporting and dumping positions.

11. A stacking device comprising:

(a) a plate member for supporting a sheet material strip,

(b) a hinge rod supporting one longitudinal edge of said plate memberfor pivotal movement between a strip supporting position and a dumpingposition,

(c) arotary shaft,

(d) an arm extending radially from said shaft,

(e) means for driving said shaft through a rotary cycle,

(1) a lever fixed to said hinge rod operative to pivot said platemember,

(g) an elongated lift bar,

(11) means for pivotally connecting one end of said lift bar to saidlever,

(i) ablock,

(j) means for pivotally connecting said block to said radial arm,

(k) means in said block for slidably receiving said lift bar, and

(l) abutment means fixed to said lift bar for driving engagement withsaid block during a portion of said rotary cycle to reciprocate saidplate member between said' supporting and dumping positions.

References Cited in the file of' this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

1. A STACKING DEVICE COMPRISING: (A) A PLATE MEMBER FOR SUPPORTING ASHEET MATERIAL STRIP, (B) MEANS FOR PIVOTALLY SUPPORTING SAID PLATEMEMBER ALONG ONE EDGE, (C) A ROTARY SHAFT, (D) AN ARM EXTENDING RADIALLYFROM SAID SHAFT, (E) MEANS FOR LINKING SAID ARM TO SAID PIVOTAL SUPPORTMEANS FOR CONVERTING THE ROTARY MOTION OF SAID SHAFT TO A RECIPROCABLEMOTION FOR SAID PLATE MEMBER BETWEEN A SHEET MATERIAL SUPPORTINGPOSITION AND A DUMPING POSITION, (F) MEANS FOR DRIVING SAID SHAFT, (G)FIRST AND SECOND FEED ROLLS FOR FEEDING STRIPS OF SHEET MATERIAL UPONSAID PLATE MEMBER, (H) MEANS FOR DRIVING SAID FEED ROLLS, (I) MEANS FORMOUNTING SAID FIRST ROLL TO MOVE TOWARD AND AWAY FROM SAID SECOND ROLL,AND (J) MEANS OPERATIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH SAID ROLL MOUNTING MEANS FORENERGIZING SAID SHAFT DRIVE MEANS WHEN SAID FIRST ROLL IS MOVED AWAYFROM SAID SECOND ROLL, AND FOR DE-ENERGIZING SAID SHAFT DRIVE MEANS WHENSAID FIRST ROLL IS MOVED TOWARD SAID SECOND ROLL.